Dudgeon
by Vergil's Inferno
Summary: A demon's resolve is resolute in nature - almost. What is the one thing designed to send one over the precipice and into a blooming river of regret and sadness? Disclaimer: I do not own Dante, Nero, and Vergil, or any of their weapons.


Vergil could hear the muffled screams coming from his brother's car. Two distinct voices carrying the same tone and the same volume. He chose not to eavesdrop this time, as it had landed him in hot water on multiple occasions when his brother and boyfriend were fighting.

The fights had been going on for weeks now, each one more heated than the last. It would take Dante a relatively longer time to dig deep and get really angry at Nero, but Nero was young and emotional, irrational, and often acted without logic. His stubbornness got the better of him at the worst of times, and as a result, Dante was forced to scream at him at the top of his lungs for the younger man to grasp the bigger picture. At first it was okay, but as Nero got familiar with Dante's taunts he started fighting back, not heeding the warnings his teacher had taught him in their months of training together, and almost lost his life a good couple of times.

It was mainly when they came home that Dante reprimanded his student; if he did it in front of Vergil, a higher sense of guilt would imbue through the boy, and he would learn his lesson as opposed to spew whatever filth he had brewing behind clenched teeth. They were both aware that Vergil would back Dante as opposed to Nero – Dante spoke sensibly, and Nero would never bad mouth his brother in front of him, and Nero was acutely jealous of the fact that Vergil would defend Dante's reasoning, and that would hurt more than anything Dante could ever say. Nevertheless, they had accustomed to shrieking their guts out in the car on the way home, sharing different views on how best to defeat the demons they had just faced. There was no point to these fights: if they had a job, they would move swiftly as if nothing had happened the previous day, only to walk through the shop's wooden oak doors and complain about each other ruthlessly. The two demons thought it better to keep their issues contained in the car for Vergil's sake, but it proved useless if he honed in anyway.

"You never fucking listen!"

"What do you mean? I've been listening to your damn nagging for eight months!" Nero slammed the Corvette's door hard enough to bend its metal frame. Vergil could hear Dante wince at the sound.

"What is your problem, kid? I have done absolutely nothing to you this time."

"You knew how strong that thing was-"

"And need I remind you YOU SAID YOU FUCKING HAD IT!"

That was new. Vergil was almost on his feet – his brother's voice had never peaked to that level.

However, Nero matched Dante. "I HAD THE PREVIOUS ONE! THIS ONE WAS BIGGER AND SPRUNG OUT OF THE BLUE! YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT IF YOU WERE FUCKING PAYING ATTENTION!"

Vergil sat down quickly: he adjusted his glasses and pretended to read his book, looking as normal as possible to not give away he was listening to them. He sat at the far end of the adjacent wall, warming his feet on the roaring fire he prepared for a relaxing evening in. They were early, and Vergil had no time and patience to deal with their stupid arguments. One of the big double doors nearly flew off its hinges as Dante stormed through, plastering a fake smile in his brother's direction. Following suit was Nero, putting on his best fake 'I'm-so-happy-to-see-you' expression. Vergil took off his spectacles and stared at them furiously. It was bad this time.

Vergil exhaled deeply and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Cut the bullshit. What happened?"

Dante went first. "He didn't listen."

"He had nothing to say. His face was being pounded in by some lower level demon that he couldn't handle on his own-"

"Oh shut the fuck up. You were the one screaming for me to help you-"

"Because I needed your help, Dante. I almost got chewed in half-"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING? YOU ARE ALIVE. FUCKING DEAL WITH IT-"

"THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM I'M CURRENTLY HAVING, DANTE-"

"ENOUGH!" Vergil's tone surprised them both. He looked angrier than both of them combined. "Ya know, I'm so fucking sick and tired of breaking up your damn fights. You are both grown men, and you should both be mature enough to not let petty shit wedge you apart. You are a team. You fight for a common goal – is that goal not enough for you both to forget your shortcomings and beat the living shit out of the bad that permeates this world?"

Dante wasn't too sure if Vergil chose those words to make him believe it or to lessen the coming blow on Nero. "I appreciate the lecture, brother, but I don't have any problems with you." Dante moved across the room and stood behind the kitchen counter. He reached for the scotch and drank straight from the bottle. Five gulps later, he chose to speak again, pointing a finger at the man at the door. "That thing needs to leave."

Vergil's eyes moved from his brother to his lover and back again. Nero followed suit, shooting Vergil a scared glance. "You can't be serious-"

"Vergil, there is only so much I can take-"

"Dante-"

"I ONLY FUCKING TOLERATE HIM BECAUSE OF YOU!" He threw the bottle down with so much force that the other two in the room assumed it broke in his hand. When he took a sip, the bottle was intact, but Dante damaged the countertop and it split open his palm. "Oh yes, my dear Nero. I don't like you. Come to think of it, I never liked you." Dante took another swig from the bottle. "I act nice and kind around you because I know it makes Vergil happy. I stomach you because if I don't Vergil hates me. And I can't have my twin brother hate me, can I?" Gulp. "You see, it stems from this guilt I've had since I could remember, where I couldn't save him from some form of torment, one which was initially reserved for me, but ya know, being a big brother and all, he took it upon himself to risk everything he worked for and built to save my life, and now I have to make up for it because he's alive and kicking, blah blah fucking blah." Gulp. "And I wouldn't mind doing that. Because I owe him, and I will owe him for the rest of my fucking life. But no, he had to go fall in love, and now I have to make that same promise to you, because if anything happened to you and I could've stopped it, he'd never forgive me, blah blah fucking blah." Gulp. "But you're not worth it anymore. Why should I help someone who only thinks of themselves? Why must I risk my own happiness for someone who doesn't think as far as getting home alive to the one person who truly cares about tucking them in at night?" Gulp. "Wait – why the fuck do I have to stand here and justify anything to you? Blah blah fucking blah." Gulp. "My bad, that doesn't go there." Gulp. "I hate your fucking guts, Nero! I hate everything about you. I don't know what my brother sees in you. You must have one hell of a dick or an ass; that could be the main reason. It could be the only reason." Dante shrugged off the last comment and took another drink.

Vergil's squinted his eyes and pierced daggers into his brother's chest. "I'm going to forget you said that-"

The man laughed. "Why? WHY? It's a good thing if you're both good in the sack!" Gulp. "Mind you, if his dick complained as much as he does-"

Vergil warped inches from his brother's face. "Finish that sentence. I fucking dare you." Both their icy blue eyes turned cold, but Dante's smirk dared to challenge his elder brother.

He stepped back bowed mockingly, lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long drag. "I wasn't planning to, brother. And do you know why?" Dante pursed his lips and waited for Vergil to answer. He didn't. He could smell the alcohol on his brother's breath when he leaned to whisper in his ear. "Because you're stronger." The younger brother giggled and comically checked the shop. "But shhhhh, don't tell Vergil I said that." He chuckled louder into the bottle. "And YOU!" Dante moved his attention to Nero. "You are nothing without him. You're a teenager who is only alive because I've willed it to be so. You have no strength, you have no power, and you have nothing to fight for. You can claim its Vergil, but if he saw you fight, he'd see your combat style as a fucking death wish." Gulp. "You will never be part of this family as long as I live. You don't deserve my brother." The bottle was now empty, and he hurled it at Nero. The younger man didn't flinch as the bottle flew past him and glass shattered mere inches from his face, where shards embedded in his pale skin. "I hope to fucking see you rot in hell someday."

Vergil was at Nero's side in an instant, and began picking thick pieces of glass protruding from his boyfriend's face. The outward pain was minimal to him, but the pain etched on his face went deeper than any stray shards could ever cut. "He's drunk, he doesn't mean it-"

"I MEAN EVERY FUCKING WORD, VERGIL! NO USE SUGARCOATING THE TRUTH, IS THERE?" Dante searched the cupboards for something stronger and came up short. Vodka and bourbon would have to do. "You are the better brother, Vergil. I won't pretend not to know that. I've come to terms with not being the epitome of perfection, which you are-" He bowed again "-but I won't pretend to be something I'm not."

It was evident that he was calming down from whatever episode he was having, but Nero was having none of it. Dante, whom he loved and respected as an older brother, had reduced him to a miserable heap of mixed emotions. He would usually take this kind of talk if there were training, as it was all in good faith to get him worked up, but this was in front of Vergil. The man he cared for more than anything. If he said something, Vergil would ask him to stop talking; if he did something, Vergil would stop him. Maybe it was about time he defied both brothers at once…

"And do you know what else?" Dante paused to give them both a chance to speak as he became undeniably interested in the clear contents of the bottle as he took a long drink.

"You're a jealous sack of shit?"

Both brothers turned at the sudden outburst, and Dante choked on the burning liquid running down his throat. Nero plucked at the remaining piece of glass right under his right eye, but instead caused a deeper gash to form across his face. His fresh wound burned owing to the alcohol on the shard, and the blood dripped to his chin.

Dante seemed less concerned with the alcohol. "What the hell did you just say?"

Vergil moved to stop Nero, but he held out his hand and gave a cautionary glance. No way would he let Dante get away with what he said. "I SAID-" He aligned to Dante's line of vision. "-YOU ARE… A JEALOUS SACK… OF SHIT!" He purposely accentuated every word and syllable. "Not of me, gods forbid, but something tells me you hate not being the centre of Vergil's world." Dante put the bottle on the counter and turned to Nero's direction. "Oooohlalaaah, did I hit a nerve, dear Dante? Forever living in his brother's shadow in an attempt to redeem his worthless life for…. What? What exactly are you smoking that makes you think your brother needs you? If he is as strong as you say, you are of no use, other than a possible blood transfusion should you ever 'fail to protect the person you use as an excuse to be a complete asshole '. If I can give you a piece of advice, give up. As much as you tell yourself, he doesn't need you. He doesn't need me, I know that, but at least I know he wants me. And as you so blatantly put it, yes, I have a fucking amazing ass, and your brother can vouch for that." Nero took four daunting steps toward the kitchen. He could hear Vergil's heart pick up speed, and his inner demon pleaded for him to stop his onslaught. "The only reason I ever took so much crap from you is because I knew you were the best at what you did, and I highly respected you for that. I was humbled that you would take me under your wing and I hoped I'd become like you one day. But to look at you now, I'm not too sure I would be proud of myself."

"Nero-"

His head snapped one hundred degrees behind him. "For fuck's sake Vergil, I am fucking done taking shit from your brother. I sure as hell know what he's capable of – I have the fucking bruises and cuts to prove it – but if he wants me gone, he can kill me."

Dante straightened his back, like an alpha accepting a challenge from a weaker species. "Don't fucking tempt me, kid-"

"Go ahead." Nero stood his ground. "I'm honestly not kidding."

Nero caught Dante's eyes glow a deep red before a big double-edged sword waited to carve his throat in half. The cool edge of the blade forced Nero's eyes shut, but the awaiting pain never came. He risked opening one to see a familiar blue katana sit along the base of Dante's throat. "Put it down, Vergil, this is none of your concern."

The calmer of the brothers communicated through gritted teeth. "Like. Fuck. It. Doesn't."

"He asked for it-"

"He was defending himself-"

"Well, what a fucking hell of a job well done to you, Nero-"

Vergil applied pressure to his blade. "Don't make me ask you again."

Dante's composure didn't falter. "Come on, Vergil. What's another dead demon to you, huh? You seem to be the only one in this room that cares of his well-being."

"There has to be one, doesn't there?"

The twins held their resolve, but they both refused to let down their guard. Each sword stood resolte in place, ready to strike at any moment with no prior warning.

"I cannot watch you be used, brother."

"That is not your assumption to make." He pulled Yamato toward him, and blood dripped onto Dante's clothes. "I may not be able to kill you, but I can cause you harm worse than you have ever endured. All those years of supposed torment you went through will be but a scratch to what I would inflict if that blade moves any closer to Nero." Vergil followed through in the other direction, cutting Dante deeper. "Put… The sword… down." The last word was virtually a growl.

The offending brother opened his hands wide and let his monster of a sword drop to the floor. The impact vibrated around the room as it fell out of harm's way, and all involved parties breathed a sigh of relief. "And here I was just trying to fulfil someone's dying wish-"

Vergil walked halfway across the room to resume his reading. "We will talk about this later."

It was at that moment that Rebellion trembled against the concrete floor and reoccupied its position in Dante's hands. He turned his back and launched the sword in Nero's general direction.

His body slumped to the floor. The pain that ensued was unimaginable.


End file.
